Music of the Soul

Music has always been a part of most of my life, but it hasn't always been the most enjoyable part. I started playing piano when I was 9 because my parents told me to. I never really connected very much with it. I started playing guitar when I turned 14 and really enjoyed it, but I mainly picked up so that I would be cool. As I have grown older and played more I have come to enjoy music at a different level, but sometimes I still think that I want to learn new techniques and methods just so that I can get better and people will think that I am a better musician.

But something seems to be lacking in that way of thinking. When I think of truly great musicians, they made sure that what they played reflected themselves, their experiences, and their souls. They changed the genres around them and made the music conform to them, almost making the instruments and music extensions of themselves. What if I were to think of it that way with the way I play music? Not that I want to become famous, but I do have a desire to make music a true art form and form of expression in my life, not just a way to boost people's opinion of me. What will happen when playing becomes a mirror for my soul?